Method of manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuit devices having a memory device with a reduced bit line stray capacity and such semiconductor integrated circuit devices

ABSTRACT

A DRAM has, in one embodiment, a plurality of word lines each having its upper and side surfaces covered with a first insulating film, a plurality of bit lines each being provided so as to be insulated from and transverse to the word lines and being covered with a second insulating film, and a plurality of memory cells each provided at an intersection between one word line and one bit line and including a capacitor and a memory cell selection transistor, in which contact holes for connection between semiconductor regions and capacitors and between semiconductor regions and bit lines are formed in self-alignment and the second insulating film is made of a material having a permittivity smaller than that of the first insulating film.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to semiconductor integrated circuit devices, and in particular to semiconductor integrated circuit devices having DRAMs (Dynamic Random Access Memories) and a method of manufacturing them.

[0002] A semiconductor integrated circuit device having a DRAM is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 7-208037 filed in the name of the assignee of the present application on Aug. 15, 1995, in which a DRAM is disclosed having a so-called capacitor-over-bit line structure, i.e., having a structure such that memory cell capacitors are provided over bit lines.

[0003] In that technique, cap insulating films and side walls covering word lines and bit lines are made of a silicon nitride so that capacitor contact holes through which capacitors and semiconductor regions of memory cell selection MOS FETs are connected and bit line contact holes through which bit lines and semiconductor regions of memory cell selection MOS FETs are connected can be formed in self-alignment to thereby improve the accuracy of alignment of the contact holes and reduce the contact hole diameters with a result that the memory cell size can be decreased.

[0004] Meanwhile, in the recent years, it is more and more expected for DRAMs to have device elements highly integrated with fine patterning process margin sufficiently preserved and to have enhanced performance characteristics. To this end, it is now considered essential to form capacitor contact holes and bit line contact holes in self-alignment for reduction of memory cell size and how to effectively reduce unnecessary stray capacity accompanying the bit lines.

[0005] The present invention relates to the subject matter of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/694,766 filed on Aug. 9, 1996 (corresponding to Korean Patent Application No. 33,141/96 filed on Aug. 9, 1996 and to Taiwanese Patent Application No. 84109019 filed on Aug. 29, 1995), the whole of the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. That application corresponds to the above-mentioned Japanse Patent Application No. 7-208037.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing the bit line stray capacity in a semiconductor integrated circuit device having a memory device.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique for alleviating alignment accuracy requirement for capacitor contact holes and bit line contact holes for memory cell size reduction and for reducing bit line stray capacity.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, in a semiconductor integrated circuit device with a memory device, the memory device including first conductors each having its upper and side surfaces covered with a first insulating film, second conductors provided so as to be transverse to and insulated from the first conductors and covered with a second insulating film, and a plurality of memory cells each provided at one of intersections between the first and second conductors and having a capacitor and a memory cell selection transistor, contact holes for connecting semiconductor regions of the transistors and the capacitors and contact holes for connecting bit lines and semiconductor regions of the transistors are formed in self-alingment, and the second insulating film has a permittivity smaller than that of the first insulating film.

[0009] The second insulating film may be made of a material having a permittivity substantially equal to that of the first insulating film. In that case, the second insulating film should be formed to a thickness larger than the first insulating film.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a memory cell region of a memeory device included in a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0011]FIG. 2 is a sectional view of of a main part of a peripheral circuit region of the memory device shown in FIG. 1.

[0012]FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of the memory cell region of the memory device shown in FIG. 1.

[0013]FIG. 4 is another plan view of a main part of the memory cell region of the memory device shown in FIG.

[0014]FIGS. 5a to 5 y and 6 a to 6 d are sectional views of a main part of a semiconductor integrated circuit device at respective stages of a method of manufacturing the device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0015]FIG. 7 is a plan view of the device at the manufacturing stage shown in FIG. 5t.

[0016]FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a main part of a memory cell region of a memory device included in a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017]FIGS. 9a to 9 f are sectional views of a main part of a semiconductor integrated circuit device at respective stages of a method of manufacturing the device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRITION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings showing the embodiments, members having similar functions are denoted by same reference symbols, and description of such similar members will not be repeated.

[0019] (Embodiment 1)

[0020]FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a memory cell region included in a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of a peripheral circuit region for the memory cell region shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of the memory cell region shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is another plan view of a main part of the memory cell region shown in FIG. 1, FIGS. 5a to 5 y and 6 a to 6 d are sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the semiconductor integrated circuit device shown in FIG. 5t.

[0021] The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to the present first embodiment may include, for example, a 64 Mbit DRAM. However, the present invention is not limited to application to 64 Mbit DRAMs, but it is applicable to various semiconductor devices.

[0022] The DRAM will now be described by referring to FIGS. 1 through 4. FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along line I-I illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0023] A semiconductor substrate is included in the DRAM is, for example, made of a silicon (Si) single crystal of p-type. On the semiconductor substrate is, an isolating field insulating film 2 made of, for example, silicon dioxide (SiO₂) is formed.

[0024] In a main surface of the semiconductor substrate is in a memory cell region M, a p-well 3 p is formed. In the p-well 3 p, boron, for example, has been introduced as a p-type impurity. On the p-well 3 p, a memory cell MC is formed. The memory cell MC includes one memory cell selection MOSFET (hereafter referred to as selection MOS) 4 and one capacitor 5. The size of the one memory cell is, for example, approximately 1.0-2.0 μm².

[0025] The selection MOS 4 has one pair of semiconductor regions 4 a and 4 b formed on the resulting semiconductor substrate is so as to be spaced apart from each other, a gate insulating film 4 c formed on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, and a gate electrode 4 d formed on the gate insulating film 4 c.

[0026] The semiconductor regions 4 a and 4 b are regions for forming a source region and a drain region of the selection MOS 4. Into the semiconductor regions 4 a and 4 b, an n-type impurity such as phosphorus or arsenic (As) has been doped. Between the semiconductor regions 4 a and 4 b, a channel region of the selection MOS 4 is formed.

[0027] An active region having the semiconductor regions 4 a and 4 b and two channel regions is defined by the surrounding field insulating film 2. The plane shape is laterally symmetric with respect to the semiconductor region 4 a (see FIG. 3).

[0028] The gate insulating film 4 c is, for example, made of SiO₂. The gate electrode 4 d is formed by forming a conductor film 4 d 2 made of, for example, tungsten silicide (WSi₂) on a conductor film 4 d 1 made of, for example, a low-resistance poly-silicon film. The resistance of the gate electrode 4 d is reduced by the conductor film 4 d 2. The gate electrode 4 d may be formed by a single substance film of low-resistance poly-silicon, or it may be formed by a predetermined metal such as tungsten.

[0029] The gate electrode 4 d is also a part of a word line WL. The word lines WL extend in a direction nearly perpendicular to the direction in which the above described active region extends. Each of the word lines WL has a predetermined width (Lg) necessary to obtain a threshold voltage of the selection MOS 4 (see FIG. 3). The spacing between adjacent word lines WL is approximately 0.5-1.0 μm, for example.

[0030] The areas of portions of word lines WL defined by dimension Lg are wider than the width of the active region at least by an amount corresponding to mask alignment margin during the device manufacturing process.

[0031] The upper and side surfaces of each of the gate electrode 4 d (word line WL) are covered with a cap insulating film (word line cap insulating film) 7 a and side walls (word line side wall insulating films) 7 b via insulating films 6 a and 6 b. The cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b are covered with inter-layer insulating films 8 a through 8 c. The insulating films 7 a and 7 b are in contact with the inter-layer insulating film 8 a. In the inter-layer insulating films 8 a through 8 c, a contact hole 9 a 1 is formed so as to expose the semiconductor region 4 a located at the surface of the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s. In the inter-layer insulating films 8 a and 8 b, a contact hole (lower contact hole) 9 b 1 is formed so as to expose the semiconductor region 4 b located at another surface of the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s. The diameter of the contact holes 9 a 1 and 9 b 1 is, for example, approximately 0.3-0.4 μm.

[0032] The insulating films 6 a and 6 b are, for example, made of SiO₂ and has a dual function. First, they function to prevent contamination of the inside of a film forming apparatus with a constituent metal element of the conductor film 4 d 2 when the cap insulating film 7 a and side walls 7 b are formed therewith. Second, they function to suppress stress applied to the cap insulating film 7 a and side wall 7 b stemming from thermal expansion coefficient differences at a heating step or the like in a process of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device.

[0033] Further, in the first embodiment, the cap insulating film 7 a and side walls 7 b are made of, for example, silicon nitride about 1000-3000 Å thick and serve as etching stoppers when the contact holes 9 a 1, 9 b 1 are formed in the inter-layer insulating films 8 a, 8 b, i.e., serve as films for forming bit line contact holes 9 a 1 and capacitor contact holes 9 b 1 between adjacent word lines WL in a self-aligned manner. In other words, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b define dimensions of the contact holes 9 a 1 and 9 b 1 in the width direction of the word lines WL.

[0034] Thus, even if the contact holes 9 a 1 and 9 b 1 are deviated in the width direction of the word lines WL (lateral direction of FIG. 3), the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b serve as the etching stoppers and consequently exposure of a part of the word line WL to the contact holes 9 a 1 and 9 b 1 is prevented. Therefore, alignment tolerance of the contact holes 9 a 1 and 9 b 1 can be reduced.

[0035] Meanwhile, even if the contact holes 9 a 1 and 9 b 1 are deviated in the length direction of the word line WL (vertical direction of FIG. 3), the thickness of the inter-layer insulating films 8 a and 8 b is secured to some extent and consequently the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 s is prevented from being exposed to the contact holes 9 a 1 and 9 b 1.

[0036] The inter-layer insulating film 8 a is, for example, made of SiO₂. The inter-layer insulating film 8 b is preferably made of BPSG (Boro Phospho Silicate Glass). The inter-layer insulating film 8 a functions to prevent boron or phosphorus contained in the inter-layer insulating film 8 b located on the film 8 a from being diffused to the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s located under the film 8 a.

[0037] Furthermore, the inter-layer insulating film 8 b functions to flatten the underlayer on which wiring conductors are to be formed. Thereby, a photolithography margin can be secured, and the pattern transference accuracy of the contact holes 9 a 1 and 9 b 1 and the wiring can be improved.

[0038] On the inter-layer insulating film 8 b, the inter-layer insulating film 8 c made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed. If a portion of the cap insulating film 7 a is exposed from the inter-layer insulating film 8 b, the exposed portion might be etched and the word line WL might be exposed in a bit line forming process which will be described later. The inter-layer insulating film 8 c functions to prevent it. In the case where such a problem does not occur, therefore, the inter-layer insulating film 8 c may not be provided.

[0039] On the inter-layer insulating film 8 c, a bit line BL is formed. The bit line BL is formed by forming a conductor film BL2 made of, for example, WSi₂ on a conductor film BL1 made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon. The bit line BL is electrically connected to the semiconductor region 4 a via the contact hole 9 a 1. The spacing between adjacent bit lines BL is, for example, approximately 0.5-1.0 μm.

[0040] Between the conductor film BL1 and the inter-layer insulating film 8 c, a mask film (bit line contact hole formation mask film) 10 b used as an etching mask in forming the contact hole 9 a 1 is left. This mask film 10 b is a film for raising the etching selection ratio in forming the contact hole 9 a 1. The mask film 10 b is, for example, made of low-resistance poly-silicon. The mask film 10 b is also a part of a bit line BL.

[0041] The bit line BL is disposed so as to cross the above described word line WL (preferably so as to be nearly perpendicular to the word line WL) (see FIG. 4). It is not always necessary to square the center line of the bit line BL with the center of the bit contact hole 9 a 1. In this case, however, the bit line BL needs a projection for completely surrounding the bit line contact hole 9 a 1.

[0042] If the above described projection is formed on the bit line BL, there is a possibility that a short-circuit defect between an adjacent bit line BL and the projection will occur. Therefore, a portion of the bit line BL adjacent to the projection is slightly bent so as to be separated from the projection.

[0043] The upper and side surfaces of the bit line BL are covered with a cap insulating film (bit line cap insulating film) 11 a and side walls (bit line side wall insulating films) 11 b via insulating film 6 c and 6 d.

[0044] The cap insulating film 11 a and side walls 11 b are made of films having a permittivity lower than a material of the cap insulting film 7 a and side walls 7 b covering the word lines WL. The films 11 and 11 b may be made of, for example, SiO₂.

[0045] Thereby, a stray capacity accompanying the bit lines BL (hereafter reterred to as a bit line capacity) including a capacity between the bit lines BL and the capacitor electrodes 5 c can be decreased. Therefore, it will be possible, for example, to shorten a charge/discharge time of the bit lines BL. It will be also possible to enhance a speed of transmission of a signal flowing in the bit lines BL. Thus, the operation speed of the DRAM can be improved.

[0046] Furthermore, the thickness of the cap insulating film 11 a and side walls 11 b are, for example, in the order of 1000 Å. The cap insulating film 11 a and the side walls 11 b are covered with an insulating film 12, which serves as an etching stopper in removing an underlying insulating film left after the capacitor 5 has been formed. The insulating film 12 is made of, for example, silicon nitride.

[0047] The thickness of the insulating film 12 is set to a value in the range of 100 to 500 Å, preferably to approximately 250 Å. Because a thickness greater than this value causes hydrogen to be seized by the silicon nitride film in final hydrogen annealing processing for terminating a dangling bond and makes a sufficient terminating effect unobtainable.

[0048] Over the bit line BL, the capacitor 5 preferably taking a shape of a cylinder is formed. In other words, the DRAM of the present first embodiment has a COB structure. The capacitor 5 is formed by covering the surface of a first electrode 5 a with a second electrode 5 c via a capacitor insulating film 5 b. In the present first embodiment, therefore, capacitive portions are formed on the lower surface side of the first electrode 5 a and the side surfaces of the shaft portion of the cylindrincal capacitor 5 as well. As a result, a large capacitance value can be secured.

[0049] The first electrode 5 a is made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon. The first electrode 5 a is electrically connected to one semiconductor region 4 b of the selection MOS 4 through a conductor film 13 embedded in the contact hole 9 b 1. The conductor film 13 is preferably made of low-resistance poly-silicon.

[0050] The capacitor insulating film 5 b is formed by, for example, forming a SiO₂ film on a silicon nitride film. The second electrode 5 c is made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon, and it is electrically connected to predetermined wiring conductors.

[0051] A mask film (second capacitor contact hole formation mask film) 10 c located under the first electrode 5 a of the capacitor 5 is a film which was used as the mask when the contact hole 9 b 2 was opened. The mask film 10 c is made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon, and it is a part of the first electrode 5 a of the capacitor 5.

[0052] With reference to FIG. 2, the p-well 3 p and an n-well 3 n are formed on the semiconductor substrate 1 s in a peripheral circuit region P. In the p-well 3 p, preferably boron functioning as a p-type impurity has been introduced. In the n-well 3 n, phosphorus or As functioning as an n-type impurity has been introduced. On the p-well 3 p and the n-well 3 n, an nMOS 14 and a pMOS 15 are formed, for example.

[0053] By these nMOS 14 and pMOS 15, peripheral circuits of the DRAM such as a sense amplifier circuit, colomn decoder circuit, column driver circuit, row decoder circuit, row driver circuit, I/O selector circuit, data input buffer circuit, data output buffer circuit and power supply circuit are formed.

[0054] The nMOS 14 has one pair of semiconductor regions 14 a and 14 b formed on the p-well 3 p so as to be spaced apart from each other, a gate insulating film 14 c formed on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, and a gate electrode 14 d formed on the gate insulating film 14 c.

[0055] The semiconductor regions 14 a and 14 b are regions for forming the source region and drain region of the nMOS 14, respectively. In the semiconductor regions 14 a and 14 b, preferably phosphorus or As functioning as an n-type impurity has been ontroduced. Between the semiconductor regions 14 a and 14 b, the channel region of the nMOS 14 is formed.

[0056] The gate insulating film 14 c is made of, for example, SiO₂. The gate electrode 14 d is formed, for example, by forming a conductor film 14 d 2 made of WSi₂ on a conductor film 14 d 1 made of low-resistance poly-silicon. The gate electrode 14 d may be formed, for example, by a single substance film of low-resistance silicon or may be formed by metal.

[0057] On the upper and side surfaces of the gate electrode 14 d, a cap insulating film 7 a and side walls 7 b are formed via an insulating film 6 a and insulating films 6 b. The insulating films 6 a and 6 b have the same function as the insulating films 6 a and 6 b of the above described memory cell region M do, and they are made of, for example, SiO₂.

[0058] The cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b are made of, for example, silicon nitride. In this case, however, the side wall 7 b is a film for mainly forming a LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) structure.

[0059] The pMOS 15 has one pair of semiconductor regions 15 a and 15 b formed on the n-well 3 n so as to be spaced apart from each other, a gate insulating film 15 c formed on the resulting semiconductor substrate is, and a gate electrode 15 d formed on the gate insulating film 15 c.

[0060] The semiconductor regions 15 a and 15 b are regions for forming the source region and drain region of the pMOS 15, respectively. In the semiconductor regions 15 a and 15 b, for example, phosphorus functioning as a p-type impurity has been introduced. Between the semiconductor regions 15 a and 15 b, the channel region of the pMOS 15 is formed.

[0061] The gate insulating film 15 c is, for example, made of SiO₂. The gate electrode 15 d is formed, for example, by forming a conductor film 15 d 2 made of WSi₂ on a conductor film 15 d 1 made of low-resistance poly-silicon. The gate electrode 15 d may be formed by a single substance film or may be formed by metal.

[0062] On the upper and side surfaces of the gate electrode 15 d, a cap insulating film 7 a and side walls 7 b are formed via an insulating film 6 a and insulating films 6 b. The insulating films 6 a and 6 b have the same function as the insulating films 6 a and 6 b of the above described memory cell region M do, and they are made of, example, SiO₂.

[0063] The cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b are made of, for example, silicon nitride. In this case, however, the side wall 7 b is a film for mainly forming the LDD structure.

[0064] The nMOS 14 and the pMOS 15 are covered with the above described inter-layer insulating films 8 a through 8 c. On the inter-layer insulating film 8 c, the above described insulating film 12 is formed. In the memory cell region M and the peripheral circuit region P, an inter-layer insulating film 8 d is formed on the insulating film 12. The second electrode 5 c of the capacitor 5 is covered with the inter-layer insulating film 8 d.

[0065] The inter-layer insulating film 8 d is formed by forming an insulating film 8 d 2 made of, for example, BPSG on an insulating film 8 d 1 made of, for example, SiO₂. The insulating film 8 d 1 functions to prevent boron or phosphorus contained in the inter-layer insulating film 8 d 2 located on the film 8 d 1 from being diffused toward the second electrode 5 c of the capacitor 5.

[0066] A method for manufacturing the semiconductor device of the present first embodiment will now be described by referring to FIGS. 5a to Sy, 6 a to 6 d and 7.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 5a, the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 s made of a p-type Si single crystal is subjected to thermal oxidation processing. An insulating film 16 having, for example, a thickness of approximately 135 Å made of SiO₂ is thus formed. On the upper surface of the insulating film 16, an insulating film 17 having, for example, a thickness of approximately 1400 Å made of silicon nitride is then formed by means of a CVD method.

[0068] Subsequently, patterning is conducted by removing a portion of the insulating film 17 located in the isolation region by means of the photolithography technique and dry etching technique. Thereafter, selective oxidation processing is conducted by using the patterned insulating film 17 as a mask. Thereby, an isolating field insulating film 2 is formed on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 s as shown in FIG. 5b. The field insulating film 2 is made of, for example, SiO₂ and has a film thickness of approximately 4000 Å.

[0069] Thereafter, the insulating film 17 is removed by hot phosphoric acid solution. By using a photoresist as a mask, for example, boron functioning as a p-type impurity is then introduced into a predetermined position of the semiconductor substrate is by ion implantation. After the photoresist has been removed, the semiconductor substrate 1 s is subjected to thermal diffusion processing and consequently the p-well 3 p is formed as shown in FIG. 5c.

[0070] By using a photoresist as a mask, for example, phosphorus functioning as an n-type impurity is introduced into a predetermined position of the semiconductor substrate 1 s by ion implantation. After the photoresist has been removed, the semiconductor substrate 1 s is subjected to thermal diffusion processing and consequently the n-well 3 n is formed as shown in FIG. 5c.

[0071] Subsequently, the insulating film 16 located on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 s is etched and removed by fluoric acid solution. Thereafter, on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 s, an insulating film (not illustrated), for example, having a thickness of approximately 100 Å made of SiO₂ is formed.

[0072] In order to optimize the impurity concentration in the channel region and obtain the threshold voltage of each MOS, predetermined impurity ions are implanted into the main surface of the active region.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 5c, the insulating film located on the surface of the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s is etched and removed by means of fluoric acid solution. On the surface of the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, the gate insulating film 4 c of the selection MOS and the gate insulating films 14 c and 15 c of the MOS forming the peripheral circuit are formed. The gate insulating film 4 c is formed, for example, by using the thermal oxidation method. The film thickness of the gate insulating film 4 c is approximately 90 Å.

[0074] Subsequently, on the upper surface of the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, a conductor film 18 d 1 made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon with phosphorus introduced therein and a conductor film 18 d 2 made of WSi₂ are formed in order as shown in FIG. 5d. The conductor films 18 d 1 and 18 d 2 are formed, for example, by using the CVD method. The conductor films 18 d 1 and 18 d 2 are preferably 700 Å and 1500 Å in thickness, respectively.

[0075] On the upper conductor film 18 d 2, the insulating film 6 a made of, for example, SiO₂ and the insulating film 7 a made of silicon nitride are then formed in order. The insulating film 6 a and the cap insulating film 7 a are formed preferably by using the CVD method.

[0076] In forming the cap insulating film 7 a, the insulating film 6 a functions to prevent the inside of the film forming apparatus from polluted with the metal contained in the conductor film 18 d 2 and to alleviate the stress to be applied to the cap insulating film 7 a duringa heat treatment or the like. The thickness of the insulating film 6 a is preferably in the range of approximately 100 to 500 Å.

[0077] The cap insulating film 7 a functions as an etching stopper in a contact hole forming process which will be described later. Preferably, the cap insulating film has a thickness of approximately 2000 Å.

[0078] Subsequently, by using a photoresist as a mask, the cap insulating film 7 a, the insulating film 6 a, and the conductor films 18 d 1 and 18 d 2 exposed from the photoresist are etched and removed in order as shown in FIG. 5e. Thereby, the gate electrodes 4 d (word line WL), 14 d and 15 d are formed in the memory cell region M and the peripheral circuit region P.

[0079] Subsequently, the above described photoresist is removed. Thereafter, the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s is subjected to thermal oxidation processing. Thereby, the thin insulating film 6 b made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed on side surfaces of the gate electrodes 4 d, 14 d and 15 d.

[0080] By using the gate electrodes 14 d and 15 d as masks, phosphorus ions functioning as an n-type impurity and boron ions functioning as a p-type impurity are then implanted respectively in the nMOS forming region and the pMOS forming region of the peripheral circuit region as shown in FIG. 5f. Thereby, semiconductor regions 14 a 1, 14 b 1, 15 a 1 and 15 b 1 having low impurity concentration values are formed.

[0081] Subsequently, phosphorus ions functioning as an n-type impurity are implanted in the selection MOS forming region of the memory cell region M, with the gate electrode 4 d used as a mask. The n-type impurity are subjected to diffusion. Thereby, the semiconductor regions 4 a and 4 b forming the sorce region and the drain region of the selection MOS 4 are formed. To the semiconductor regions 4 a and 4 b, a bit line and a capacitor are later connected, respectively.

[0082] Subsequently, an insulating film made of, for example, silicon nitride is formed on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s by using the CVD method. Thereafter, the insulating film is etched back by using an anisotropic dry etching method such as reactive ion etching (RIE). Thereby, the side walls 7 b are formed on the side surfaces of the gate electrodes 4 d, 14 d and 15 d.

[0083] The source region and the drain region of the selection MOS 4 may be formed in a LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) structure by forming such side walls 7 b and then implanting arsenic (As) ions in the main surface of the p-well 3 p with a concentration higher than the above described phosphorus functioning as an n-type impurity.

[0084] By using the gate electrodes 14 d and 15 d covered with the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b as a mask, phosphorus ions functioning as an n-type impurity and boron ions functioning as a p-type impurity are then implanted respectively in the nMOS forming region and the pMOS forming region of the peripheral circuit region P. Thereby, semiconductor regions 14 a 2, 14 b 2, 15 a 2 and 15 b 2 having high impurity concentration values are formed. As a result, the semiconductor regions 14 a, 14 b, 15 a and 15 b of the nMOS 14 and pMOS 15 in the peripheral circuit region P are formed.

[0085] Subsequently, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, the inter-layer insulating film 8 a made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed by using the CVD method as shown in FIG. 5g. Thereafter, on the inter-layer insulating film 8 a, the inter-layer insulating film (first flattening insulating film) 8 b made of, for example, BPSG is formed by using the CVD method. As a result, at least the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b each made of a nitride film and located on the gate electrode 4 d are in contact with the insulating film 8 a made of an oxide film and are covered therewith.

[0086] Subsequently, the upper surface of the inter-layer insulating film 8 b is flattened by using the CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) method. Thereafter, on the inter-layer insulating film 8 b, a mask film (first capacitor contact hole formation mask film) 10 a made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon with phosphorus introduced therein is formed by using the CVD method.

[0087] Thereafter, by using a photoresist as a mask, the mask film 10 a is patterned by using the dry etching method. Thereby, a pattern of the mask film 10 a which is to be used to open portions of films above semiconductor regions 4 b of the selection MOS 4 is formed.

[0088] In the present first embodiment, the upper surface of the inter-layer insulating film 8 b underlying the mask film 10 a is flattened. Therefore, a sufficient photolithography margin can be secured, and favorable pattern transference onto the film 8 b is possible. In the peripheral circuit region P, the entire upper surface of the inter-layer insulating film 8 b is covered with the mask layer 10 a.

[0089] The reason why low-resistance poly-silicon is used as the mask film 10 a will hereafter be described. First, the etching selection ratio with respect to the silicon oxide films 8 a and 8 b, through which contact holes for the capacitor 5 are opened as described below, can be increased. Secondly, since the material embedded in the contact hole is low-resistance poly-silicon, the mask film 10 a which is the lower layer can be simultaneously removed in etch-back processing of the low-resistance poly-silicon conductor film formed at the time of embedding the material.

[0090] However, the constituent material of the mask film 10 a is not limited to poly-silicon, but can be changed diversely. For example, the constituent material may be silicon nitride.

[0091] By using the mask film 10 a as an etching mask, the inter-layer insulating films 8 a and 8 b exposed from the mask film 10 a are then removed, for example, by using the dry etching method. Thereby, the contact hole (capacitor lower contact hole) 9 b 1 is formed so as to expose the semiconductor region 4 b of the selection MOS 4 as shown in FIG. 5h. The contact hole 9 b 1 has a diameter of approximately 0.3 to 0.4 μm.

[0092] In the present first embodiment, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b brought into contact with and covered with the insulating films 8 a and 8 b, through which the contact hole 9 b 1 is formed, are formed by silicn nitride. Therefore, the selection ratio of the insulating films 8 a and 8 b with respect to silicon nitride in dry etching processing is high. As a result, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b function as etching stoppers. Accordingly, the minute contact hole 9 b 1 can be formed in a self-aligned manner with a high aligning precision.

[0093] Even if the position of the opening of the mask film 10 a, for example, is somewhat deviated in the width direction (lateral direction in FIG. 5h) of the word line WL, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b are made of silicon nitride and function as etching stoppers and consequently any part of the word line WL will not be exposed to the contact hole formed by using the mask film as an etching mask.

[0094] Furthermore, even if the position of the opening of the mask film 10 a is deviated in a direction of extension of the word line WL, the underlying field insulating film 2 has a sufficiently large thickness and consequently the contact hole formed by using the mask film as an etching mask does not reach the upper part of the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s.

[0095] In the present first embodiment, therefore, the alignment margin of the contact hole 9 b 1 set equal to a larger value by considering the mis-alignment can be reduced. Therefore, the area of the memory cell region M can be reduced.

[0096] The dry etching conditions at this time will now be exemplified. The selection ratio between the inter-layer insulating films 8 a and 8 b and the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b is, for example, in the range of approximately 10 to 15. The reaction gas is C₄F₈/CF₄/CO/Ar gas, for example, with approximately 3/5/200/550 sccm, respectively. The pressure is, for example, 100 mTorr. The RF power is, for example, 1000 watts. The processing temperature in an etching apparatus is, for example, approximately 20/60/−10° C. on the upper electrode/wall surface/lower electrode, respectively.

[0097] Subsequently, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, the conductor film 13 made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon with phosphorus introduced therein is formed by using the CVD method as shown in FIG. 5i. Thereafter, the conductor film 13 is etched back by using the dry etching method. Thereby, the conductor film 13 is embedded in only the contact hole 9 b 1 as shown in FIG. 5j. At the time of this etch-back processing, the mask film 10 a of the lower layer (see FIG. 5i) is also removed.

[0098] Thereafter, on the conductor film 13 and the insulating film 8 b, the insulating film (first insulating film) 8 c made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed by using the CVD method as shown in FIG. 5k. The inter-layer insulating film 8 c has a thickness in the range of, for example, approximately 500 to 1000 Å.

[0099] Subsequently, on the inter-layer insulating film 8 c, the mask film (bit line contact hole formation mask film) 10 b made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon is formed by using the CVD method. The thickness of the mask film 10 b is, for example, in the range of 500 to 3000 Å.

[0100] Subsequently, by using a photoresist as a mask, the mask film 10 b is subjected to patterning using dry etching processing. Over the semiconductor region 4 a, an opening is thus formed in the mask film 10 b. Thereafter, the inter-layer insulating films 8 a through 8 c in the region exposed to the opening are etched and removed by using dry etching processing.

[0101] Thereby, the contact hole (bit line contact hole) 9 a 1 is formed so as to expose the semiconductor region 4 a of the selection MOS 4 as shown in FIG. 51. The contact hole 9 a 1 has, for example, a diameter of approximately 0.3 to 0.4 μm.

[0102] In the present first embodiment, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b brought into contact with and covered with the insulating films 8 a and 8 b, through which the contact hole 9 a 1 is formed, are formed by silicn nitride. Therefore, the selection ratio of the insulating films 8 a and 8 b with respect to silicon nitride in dry etching process is high. As a result, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b function as etching stoppers. Accordingly, the minute contact hole 9 a 1 can be formed in a self-aligned manner with a high aligning precision.

[0103] Even if the position of the opening of the mask film 10 b, for example, is somewhat deviated in the width direction (lateral direction in FIG. 51) of the word line WL, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b are made of silicon nitride and function as etching stoppers and consequently a part of the word line WL is not exposed from the contact hole formed by using the mask film as an etching mask.

[0104] Furthermore, even if the position of the opening of the mask film 10 a is deviated in a direction of extension of the word line WL, the underlying field insulating film 2 has a sufficiently large thickness and consequently the contact hole formed by using the mask film as an etching mask does not reach the upper part of the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s.

[0105] In the present first embodiment, therefore, the alignment margin of the contact hole 9 a 1 set equal to a larger value by considering the mis-alignment can be reduced. Therefore, the area of the memory cell region M can be reduced.

[0106] The dry etching conditions at this time will now be exemplified. The selection ratio between the inter-layer insulating films 8 a and 8 b and the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b is preferably in the range of approximately 10 to 15. The reaction gas is preferably C₄F₈/CF₄/CO/Ar gas, for example, with approximately 3/5/200/550 sccm, respectively. The pressure is, for example, approximately 100 mTorr. The RF power is, for example, approximately 1000 watts. The processing temperature in an etching apparatus is, for example, approximately 20/60/−10° C. on the upper electrode/wall surface/lower electrode, respectively.

[0107] Subsequently, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, the conductor film BL1 made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon with phosphorus introduced therein and the conductor film BL2 made of, for example, WSi₂ are formed in order by using the CVD method as shown in FIG. 5m. Subsequently, on the conductor film BL2, the insulating film 6 c made of SiO₂ and the cap insulating film 11 a made of SiO₂ are formed in order by using the CVD method. The cap insulating film 11 a has, for example, a thickness of approximately 1000 Å.

[0108] Subsequently, on the cap insulating film 11 a, a photoresist 19 a is formed so as to cover the bit line forming region. By using the photoresist 19 a as an etching mask, the cap insulating film 11 a, the insulating film 6 c, the conductor films BL2 and BL1, and the mask film 10 b exposed from the mask are then etched and removed in order.

[0109] Thereby, the bit line BL including the conductor films BL1 and BL2 and the mask film 10 b is formed as shown in FIG. 5n. The bit line BL is electrically connected to one semiconductor region 4 a of the selection MOS 4 through the contact hole 9 a 1.

[0110] Subsequently, the photoresist 19 a (see FIG. 5m) is removed. Thereafter, the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 is subjected to thermal oxidation processing. Thereby, the thin insulating film 6 d made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed on the side surfaces of the conductor films BL1 and BL2 and the mask film 10 b included in the bit line BL as shown in FIG. 5o.

[0111] Thereafter, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, an insulating film made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed by using the CVD method. Thereafter, the insulating film is etched and removed by using an anisotropic dry etching method such as the RIE. As a result, the side walls 11 b are formed on the side surfaces of the bit line BL.

[0112] In this way, in the first embodiment, the cap insulating film 11 a and side walls 11 b covering the bit lines BL are made of SiO₂ having a permittivity lower than silicon nitride, thereby making it possible to reduce the bit line capacity to improve the operation speed of the DRAM.

[0113] Subsequently, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, the insulating film 12 made of silicon nitride, for example, having a thickness in the range of approximately 100 to 500 Å, more preferably having a thickness of approximately 250 Å is formed by using the CVD method. The insulating film 12 functions as an etching stopper in a wet etching removal process of the underlying insulating subsequent to the capacitor forming processing which will be described later.

[0114] Subsequently, on the insulating film 12 over the substrate 1 s, an insulating film (second flatterning insulating film) 20 made of, for example, BPSG (Boro-Phospho-Silicate Glass) is formed by using the CVD method so as to contact the film 12 with the film 20 and cover the film 12 with the film 20 as shown in FIG. 5p. Thereafter, the upper surface of the insulating film 20 is flattened by a heating process. The insulating film 20 may be formed with SiO₂ by using the CVD method, and in such a case, the flattering of the upper surface of the film may be effected by, for example, the CMP method.

[0115] Thereafter, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, a mask film (second capacitor contact hole formation mask film) 10 c made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon with phosphorus introduced therein is formed by using the CVD method. In this case, the mask film 10 c has, for example, a thickness in the range of approximately 500 to 2000 Å.

[0116] Subsequently, in the mask film 10 c, an opening is formed in the capacitor contact hole forming region by using the photolithography technique and the dry etching technique. In this case, the opening has a diameter in the order of 0.35 μm which corresponds to a critical minimum patterning width or smaller.

[0117] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5q, a mask film (side wall mask film) 10 c 1 of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon with phosphorus introduced thereinto is formed on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s so as to cover the above-mentioned mask film 10 c by using the CVD method. The mask film 10 c 1 has, for example, a thickness in the order of 500 to 2000 Å.

[0118] Thereafter, the mask film 10 c 1 is etched back by the dry etching method or the like so as to leave portions of the mask film 10 c 1 only on the side surfaces of the underlying mask film 10 c, as shown in FIG. 5r.

[0119] Thus, the provision of the side wall films of portions of the mask film 10 c 1 at edges of the openings makes it possible to reduce sizes of the openings. The openings have, for example, a size in the order of 0.2 μm or less.

[0120] As a result, it is possible to increase tolerance range for alignment at formation of capacitor contact holes to be described later, and therefore, it will be no longer necessary to form capacitor contact holes in self-alignment by use of the insulating films provided around the bit lines. Namley, it is now possible to form, with a material having a low permittivity, the cap insulating films 11 a and side walls 11 b covering the bit lines BL, even though the material has an etching rate higher than the material of the cap insulating films 7 a and side walls 7 b covering the word lines 4 d.

[0121] Furthermore, diameters of the capacitor contact holes are reduced with a result that an alignment margin for the capacitor contact holes may be set smaller, which will contribute to promotion of reduction of the size of memory cells MC (see FIG. 1).

[0122] Next, an upper hole of a capacitor contact hole is to be formed, using the mask films 10 c and 10 c 1 as a mask. In this first embodiment, the formation of the upper hole is effected, for example, in two etching steps.

[0123] First, as shown in FIG. 5s, first partial contact holes 9 b 2 a of the capacitor upper contact holes are formed, by etching using the mask films 10 c and 10 c 1 as a mask, to a depth such that the insulating film 12 made of silicon nitride is removed.

[0124] This first etching step employs a non-selective etching in which the partial cotact holes 9 b 2 a are formed by a dry etching process or the like which is strongly anisotropic, to thereby suppress undesirable increase of the diameters of the holes 9 b 2 a.

[0125] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5t, second partial contact holes 9 b 2 b are formed, by using the mask films 10 c and 10 c 1 as a mask, to remove the insulating films remaining in the first partial contact holes 9 b 2 a to expose the upper surfaces of the conductor films 13.

[0126] This second etching step employs a selective etching to complete the capacitor contact holes 9 b 2 b in which the insulating film 8 c of SiO2 remaining in the partial contact hole 9 b 2 a is removed and the nitride film 12 is hard to be etched. Partial contact holes 9 b 2 a and 9 b 2 b form capacitor upper contact holes 9 b 2 (FIG. 1).

[0127] The dry etching conditions at this time will now be exemplified. The selection ratio between the nitride films and the oxide films is, for example, approximately 10 to 15. The reaction gas is, for example, C₄F₈/CF₄/CO/Ar gas preferably with approximately 3/5/200/550 sccm, respectively. The pressure is, for example, approximately 100 mTorr. The RF power is, for example, approximately 1000 watts. The processing temperature in an etching apparatus is, for example, approximately 20/60/−10° C. on the upper electrode/wall surface/lower electrode, respectively. The contact holes 9 b 2 a, 9 b 2 b have, for example, a diameter in the order of 0.3 to 0.4 μm.

[0128] A simplified top view of a main part of the memory cell region M at this stage is shown in FIG. 7. Sectional views thereof taken along lines VU1-VU1 and VU2-VU2 are shown in FIGS. 5u 1 and 5 u 2, respectively.

[0129] In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5u 1 and 5 u 2, the provision of the mask film 10 c 1 makes it possible to make the contact holes 9 b 2 a, 9 b 2 b smaller. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to form the contact holes 9 b 2 a, 9 b 2 b in self-alignment by use of the insulating films formed around the bit lines BL.

[0130] Furthermore, even if the position of the opening defined by the mask films 10 c, 10 c 1 (see FIG. 5q) is deviated in the direction of extension (lateral direction in FIG. 7) of the bit line BL, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b covering the underlying word line WL are made of silicon nitride and function as etching stoppers as understood from FIG. 5u 1 and consequently any part of the word line WL is not exposed to the contact holes 9 b 2 a, 9 b 2 b.

[0131] Subsequently, on the mask layer 10 c, the conductor film 5 a having a thickness in the range of approximately 500 to 1000 Å made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon with phosphorus introduced therein is formed. On the upper surface of the conductor film 5 a, an insulating film 21 having a thickness in the range of approximately 3000 to 6000 Å made of, for example, SiO₂ is then formed by using the plasma CVD method.

[0132] The conductor film 5 a and the insulating film 21 are formed in the contact holes 9 b 1 and 9 b 2 as well, and the film 5 a is electricallly connected to the other semiconductor region 4 b of the selection MOS 4 through the conductor film 13.

[0133] The insulating film 21 on the conductor film 5 a is made of an insulating film having a higher etch rate in wet etching processing than that of the underlying insulating film 20 made of the BPSG or SiO₂. The reason will now be described. It is now assumed that the etching rate of the insulating film 21 is lower than that of the insulating film 20. The insulating film 21 is embedded also in a narrow hollow located at the center of the first electrode 5 a (see FIG. 1). In simultaneously removing the insulating film 21 and the insulating film 20 in a subsequent process, therefore, the insulating film 20 is removed before the insulating film 21 is sufficiently removed. If the etching rate of the insulating film 21 is lower than that of the insulating film 20, therefore, a bad influence is exerted upon underlying devices in some cases.

[0134] Subsequently, in the insulating film 21, the conductor film 5 a and the mask layer 10 c, portions exposed from the photoresist are etched and removed by using the dry etching method. Thereby, a lower portion 5 a 1 of the first electrode 5 a of the capacitor and the insulating film 21 are formed as shown in FIG. 5v.

[0135] Thereafter, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, a conductor film made of low-resistance poly-silicon is formed by using the CVD method. Thereafter, the conductor film is etched back by using an anisotropic dry etching method such as the RIE. Thereby, side portions 5 a 2 of the first electrode 5 a of the capacitor are formed on side surfaces of the insulating film 21 as shown in FIG. 5w.

[0136] Subsequently, the insulating films 20 and 21 are removed by, for example, wet etching using a fluoric acid solution. Thereby, the first electrode 5 a of a cylindrical capacitor is formed as shown in FIG. 5x. At this time, the insulating film 12 formed on the inter-layer insulating film 8 c functions as the stopper for the wet etching and consequently the underlying inter-layer insulating film 8 c is not removed.

[0137] Subseuently, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, a silicon nitride film (not illustrated) is formed by using the CVD method as shown in FIG. 5y. Thereafter, the silicon nitride film is subjected to oxidation processing. Thereby, a SiO₂ film is formed on the surface of the silicon nitride film, and the capacitor insulating film 5 b including the silicon nitride film and the SiO₂ film is formed.

[0138] Thereafter, a conductor film made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon is formed on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s by using the CVD method. By using a photoresist as a mask, this conductor film is etched. Thereby the second electrode 5 c of the capacitor 5 is formed, and the capacitor 5 is formed.

[0139] Subsequently, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, an insulating film 8 d 1 made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed by using the CVD method. Thereafter, on the insulating film 8 d 1, the insulating film 8 d 2 made of, for example, BPSG is formed. The upper surface of the insulating film 8 d 2 is flattened preferably by using the CMP method.

[0140] Subsequently, wiring conductor forming process follows. The wiring conductor forming process will now be described by referring to FIGS. 6a through 6 d. Although FIGS. 6a through 6 d show sectional views of a portion different from that of FIGS. 5a through 5 y to explain the wiring conductor forming process, FIGS. 6a through 6 d are sectional views of the same DRAM.

[0141] First of all, an inter-layer insulating film 8 e made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed on the resulting semicondutor substrate by using the CVD method as shown in FIG. 6a. Thereby the capacitor 5 is covered.

[0142] By using a photoresist as a mask, a contact hole 22 a is formed in the inter-layer insulating film 8 e so as to expose a pad portion of the second electrode 5 c of the capacitor 5. Together therewith, a contact hole 22 b is formed by using dry etching processing so as to expose one semiconductor region 23 a of a MOSFET 23 in the peripheral circuit region P.

[0143] Thereafter, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, a conductor film made of, for example, titanium (Ti) is formed by the sputtering method. On the upper surface of the conductor film, a conductor film made of, for example, tungsten is then formed by using the CVD method. On the upper surface of the conductor film made of tungsten, a conductor film made of, for example, titanium nitride (TiN) is formed by using the sputtering method.

[0144] Subsequently, with a photoresist used as a mask, the laminated conductor film is subjected to patterning by using the dry etching method. Thereby, a first level interconnection 24 a is formed as shown in FIG. 6b.

[0145] Subsequently, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, an inter-layer insulating film 8 f made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed by using the CVD method so as to cover the first level interconnection 24 a. Thereafter, the inter-layer insulating film 8 f is subjected to dry etching processing by using a photoresist as a mask. Thereby, a contact hole 22 c is formed so as to expose a part of the first level interconnection 24 a.

[0146] Thereafter, a second level interconnection 24 b is formed on the inter-layer insulating film 8 f as shown in FIG. 6c. The second level interconnection 24 b is formed, for example, as described below.

[0147] First of all, a conductor film made of, for example, tungsten is formed by using the CVD method. On the upper surface of the conductor film, a conductor film made of, for example, aluminum (Al) is formed by using the sputtering method. Furthermore, on the upper surface of the conductor film made of aluminum, a conductor film made of, for example, TiN is formed by using the sputtering method. Thereafter, the laminated conductor film is subjected to patterning in the same way as the first level interconnection 24 a. The second level interconnection 24 b is thus formed.

[0148] Subsequently, on the inter-layer insulating film 8 f, an inter-layer insulating film 8 g made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed to cover the second level interconnection 24 b by using the CVD method. Therafter, by using a photoresist as a mask, the inter-layer insulating film 8 g is subjected to dry etching processing. Thereby, a contact hole 22 d is formed so as to expose the second level interconnection 24 b.

[0149] Subsequently, a third level interconnection 24 c is formed on the inter-layer insulating film 8 g as shown in FIG. 6d. The third level interconnection 24 c may be formed by the same material and the same method as the second level interconnection 24 b uses.

[0150] Finally, on the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s, a surface protection film 25 preferably made of, for example, SiO₂ is formed to cover the third level interconnection 24 c by using the CVD method. Thereby, the wafer process of the DRAM in the present first embodiment is finished.

[0151] The present first embodiment can enjoy the following effects.

[0152] (1) Since the bit line contact hole 9 a 1 and the capacitor contact holes 9 b 1 and the capacitor contact holes 9 b 1 and 9 b 2 can be formed in a self-aligning manner, it becomes possible to make alignment in photolithography between those contact holes 9 a 1, 9 b 1 and 9 b 2 and each layer.

[0153] (2) By making the etching selection ratio of the insulating films (the film 5 b of FIG. 5i and the film 20 of FIG. 5p) covering the cap insulating film and the side walls (the films 7 a and 7 b of FIG. 5i and the films 11 a and 11 b of FIG. 5p) with respect to the cap insulating film and the side walls, the upper surface of the underlying insulating film (the film 8 b of FIG. 5g and the film 20 of FIG. 5p) can be flattened in forming the bit line contact hole 9 a 1 and the capacitor contact holes 9 b 1 and 9 b 2. Therefore, the margin in the photolithography for forming the contact holes 9 a 1, 9 b 1 and 9 b 2 can be improved and the pattern transferrence precision can be improved.

[0154] (3) Because of (1) and (2), the slignment tolerance of the bit line contact hole 9 a 1 and the capacitor contact holes 9 b 1 and 9 b 2 can be reduced. Therefore, the size of the memory cell MC can be reduced. As a result, the size of the semiconductor chip can be reduced.

[0155] (4) Because of (1) and (2), contact faults in the bit line contact hole 9 a 1 and the capacitor contact holes 9 b 1 and 9 b 2 can be reduced. Therefore, the yield and reliability of the DRAMs can be improved.

[0156] (5) Because of (1) and (2), any sophiscated aligning technique or process control is not required for forming the bit line contact hole 9 a 1 and the capacitor contact holes 9 b 1 and 9 b 2. Furthermore, it is not necessary to introduce a sophisticated and expensive photolithography technique such as the phase shift technique for enhancing the resolution of the transcription pattern.

[0157] (6) The cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b of the memory cell region M can be formed concurrently with the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b for forming the LDD structure of the MOSFET in the peripheral circuit region P. A significant increase in manufactiong process is not caused.

[0158] (7) Because of (5) and (6), the time of period for developing the semiconductor devices having DRAMs can be shortened.

[0159] (8) Because the side wall films made of portions of the mask film 10 c 1 are formed on the side walls of the openings in the mask film 10 c by use of which the capacitor contact holes 9 b 2 a, 9 b 2 b are to be formed, it is possible to reduce the opening size.

[0160] (9) Because of (8), it is possible to increase tolerance range for alignment at formation of capacitor contact holes 9 b 2 a, 9 b 2 b. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to to form capacitor contact holes 9 b 2 a, 9 b 2 b in self-alignment by use of the insulating films provided around the bit lines BL.

[0161] (10) Because of (8), it is possible to reduce the diamemters of the capacitor contact holes 9 b 2 a, 9 b 2 b and to make small an alignment margin for the capacitor contact holes, which will contribute to promotion of reduction of the size of memory cells MC.

[0162] (11) Because the cap insulating film 11 a and side walls 11 b covering the bit lines BL is made of SiO₂ which has a permittivity lower than that of a material of the cap insulating film 7 a and side walls 7 b covering the word lines WL, it is possible to reduce the bit line capacity.

[0163] (12) Because of (11), it is possible to shorten a charge/discharge time of the bit lines BL and to improve the speed of transmission of a signal flowing in the bit lines BL, so that the operation speed of the DRAM can be enhanced.

[0164] (13) Because of (11), it is possible to secure a sufficient amount of signal which is determined by a ratio between the storage capacity of the capacitor and the bit line capacity, so that reliability at data readout from the memory cells can be enhanced.

[0165] (14) Because of (13), reliablity at data readout from the memory cells MC can be enhanced.

[0166] (15) Because of (13), it is possible to reduce the occupation area of the capacitors 5, so that size reduction of the semiconductor integrated circuit device can be promoted.

[0167] (Embodiment 2)

[0168]FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a main part of a memory cell region included in a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 9a through 9 f are sectional views of the device illustrating a method of manufacturing the semiconductor integrated circuit device shown in FIG. 8.

[0169] The semiconductor integrated circuit device of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is an example of the case where the conductor film 13 to be embedded as shown in the above described embodiment 1 is not formed in contact holes for a capacitor 5.

[0170] In the present embodiment 2 as well, a cap insulating film 11 a and side walls 11 b surrounding a bit line BL are made of, for example, SiO₂ or the like having a permittivity lower than a material of a cap insulating film 7 a and side walls 7 b covering the word line WL. In the present embodiment 2 as well, therefore, the bit line capacity can be decreased.

[0171] Furthermore, in the present embodiment 2, not only the upper surface of the bit line BL but also the side surfaces thereof are covered with a second electrode 5 c of the capacitor 5. This is because the hole diameters of capacitor contact holes 9 b 2 a and 9 b 2 b can be made smaller and accordingly the gap between the shaft part of the capacitor 5 and the bit line BL can be made larger.

[0172] As a result, not only the upper surface of the bit line BL but also the side surfaces thereof can be shielded with the second electrode 5 c of the capacitor 5. Therefore, electrical coupling between the bit line BL and wiring conductors surrounding it can be decreased, resulting in such a structure that the signal-to-noise ratio of the bit line BL can be improved.

[0173] A method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device in the present embodiment 2 will now be described by referring to FIGS. 9a through 9 f.

[0174] The method for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device in the present embodiment 2 may be made substnatially the same as the method for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device described with reference to the embodiment 1. Therefore, process for forming contact holes for capacitors relating to a portion differing in structure from the above described embodiment 1 will now be described.

[0175]FIG. 9a is a diagram showing the semiconductor integrated circuit device of FIG. 8 in a process of manufacturing the semiconductor integrated circuit device, and FIG. 9a is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5p used in the description of the above described embodiment 1.

[0176] Around the bit line BL, insulating films 6 c and 6 d covering the bit line, a cap insulating film 11 a, side walls 11 b, and an insulating film 12 are formed in the same way as the above described embodiment 1.

[0177] On the insulating film 12, an insulating film 20 is formed in the same way as the the above described embodiment 1. This insulating film 20 is formed by using, for example, a BPSG film. The upper surface of the insulating film 20 is formed so as to become flat.

[0178] Furthermore, on the insulating film 12, a pattern of a mask film 10 c made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon is formed. The material, thickness, opening dimension, forming method, and so on of this mask film 10 c are the same as the above described embodiment 1 has. In the present embodiment 2, the conductor film 13 (FIG. 5p) is not formed at this step. However, the opening dimension is smaller than that of the above described embodiment 1, and it is 0.3 μm.

[0179] On such a semiconductor substrate 1 s, a mask film 10 c 1 made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon with phosphorus introduced therein is formed so as to cover the above described mask film 10 c by using the CVD method as shown in FIG. 9b. In this case, the mask film 10 c 1 has a thickness in the range of, for example, approximately 500 to 2000 Å.

[0180] Subsequently, this mask film 10 c 1 is etched back by the dry etching method or the like so as to leave portions of the mask film 10 c 1 only on the side surfaces of openings of the underlying mask film 10 c, as shown in FIG. 9c.

[0181] Thus, the provision of the side wall films of portions of the mask film 10 c 1 at edges of the openings of the mask film 10 c makes it possible to reduce sizes of the openings. The openings have a size of, for example, 0.15 μm.

[0182] As a result, it is possible to increase the tolerance for alignment at the time of formation of capacitor contact holes which will be described later. Therefore, it will be no longer necessary to form capacitor contact holes in self-alignment by use of the insulating films provided around the bit lines BL.

[0183] Next, a capacitor contact hole is formed by using the mask films 10 c and 10 c 1 as an etching mask. In the present embodiment 2, the formation of the capacitor contact hole is effected, for example, in two etching steps. This aims at preventing overetching from forming the contact hole deeper than need be.

[0184] First, as shown in FIG. 9d, contact holes 9 b 2 a are formed, by etching using the mask films 10 c and 10 c 1 as a mask, to a depth such that the insulating film 12 made of silicon nitride is removed.

[0185] However, this etching step employs a non-selective etching in which the contact holes 9 b 2 a are formed by a dry ectching process or the like which is strongly anisotropic, to thereby suppress undesirable increase of the diameters of the holes 9 b 2 a.

[0186] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9e, contact holes 9 b 2 b are formed, by using the mask films 10 c and 10 c 1 as a mask, to remove the insulating films 8 c, 8 b and 8 a remaining in the contact holes 9 b 2 a to expose the upper surfaces of the semiconductor regions 4 b.

[0187] However, this etching step employs a selective etching to complete the capacitor contact holes 9 b 2 b in which the insulating film of SiO₂ remaining in the contact hole 9 b 2 a is removed. Contact holes 9 b 2 a and 9 b 2 b form capacitor contact holes 9 b 2 (FIG. 8).

[0188] In the present embodiment 2 as well, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b are formed by silicon nitride. Therefore, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b function as etching stoppers. Accordingly, the minute contact hole 9 b 1 can be formed in a self-aligned manner with a high aligning precision.

[0189] Even if the position of the opening of the mask film 10 c, for example, is somewhat deviated in the width direction (lateral direction in FIG. 41) of the word line WL, the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b are made of silicon nitride and function as etching stoppers and consequently any part of the word line WL will not be exposed to the contact hole formed by using the mask film as an etching mask.

[0190] Furthermore, the provision of the side wall of the mask film 10 c 1 at edges of the openings of the mask film 10 c makes it possible to reduce sizes of the openings. Therefore, the tolerance of the mis-alignment of the contact holes 9 b 2 b can be made large.

[0191] Furthermore, even if the position of the opening of the mask film 10 c is deviated in a direction of extension of the word line WL, the underlying field insulating film 2 has a sufficiently large thickness and consequently the contact hole formed by using the mask film as an etching mask does not reach the upper part of the resulting semiconductor substrate 1 s.

[0192] In the present embodiment 2 as well, therefore, the alignment margin of the contact hole 9 b 2 b set equal to a larger value by considering the mis-alignment can be reduced. Therefore, the area of the memory cell region M can be reduced.

[0193] The dry etching conditions at this time will now be exemplified. The selection ratio is, for example, in the range of approximately 10 to 15. The reaction gas is, for example, C₄F₈/CF₄/CO/Ar gas, with, for example, approximately 3/5/200/550 sccm, respectively. The pressure is, for example, approximately 100 mTorr. The RF power is, for example, approximately 1000 watts. The processing temperature in an etching apparatus is, for example, approximately 20/60/−10° C. on the upper electrode/wall surface/lower electrode, respectively. Each of the contact holes 9 b 2 a and 9 b 2 b has a diameter, for example, in the range of approximately 0.3 to 0.4 μm.

[0194] Subsequently, on the mask layer 10 c, the conductor film having a thickness in the range of approximately 500 to 1000 Å made of, for example, low-resistance poly-silicon with phosphorous introduced therein is formed. On the upper surface of the conductor film, an insulating film having a thickness in the range of approximately 3000 to 6000 Å made of, for example, SiO₂ is then formed by using the plasma CVD method.

[0195] This conductor film is formed in the contact holes 9 b 2 a 1 and 9 b 2 b as well, and electricaly connected to the other semiconductor region 4 b of the selection MOS 4 through the conductor film.

[0196] The insulating film on this conductor film is made of an insulating film having a higher etch rate in wet etching processing than that of the underlying insulating film 20 made of the BPSG. The reason will now be described. It is now assumed that the etching rate of the insulatng film is lower than that of the insulatng film 20. The insulating film is embedded also in a narrow hollow located at the center of the first electrode of the capacitor. In simultaneously removing the insulating film and the insulating film 20 in a subsequent process, therefore, the insulating film 20 is removed before the insulating film is sufficiently removed. If the etching rate of the insulating film is lower than that of the insulating film 20, therefore, a bad influence is exerted upon underlying devices in some cases.

[0197] Subsequently, in the insulating film, the conductor film and the mask layer 10 c, portions exposed from the photoresist are etched and removed by using the dry etching method. Thereby, a lower portion 5 a 1 of the first electrode 5 a of the capacitor and the insulating film 21 are formed as shown in FIG. 9f.

[0198] Subsequent manufacturing processes are the same as those of the above described embodiment 1, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0199] In the present embodiment 2, the following effects can be thus obtained besides the effects obtained in the above described embodiment 1.

[0200] (1) Since the upper and side surfaces of the bit line BL are covered with the second electrode 5 c of the capacitor 5, not only the upper surface of the bit line BL but also the side surfaces thereof can be shielded by the second electrode 5 c of the capacitor 5. Therefore, the electric coupling between the bit line BL and wiring conductors located near it can be reduced. As a result, the signal-to-noise ratio of the bit line BL can be improved.

[0201] Heretofore, the invention made by the present inventors has been concretely described on the basis of preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments 1 and 2. It is a matter of course that the present invention can be modified diversely without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0202] By referring to the embodiments 1 and 2, for example, the case where the memory cell has a cylindrical capacitor has been described. However, the shape of the capacitor is not limited to this, but it can be modified diversely. For example, the capacitor may take the shape of a fin.

[0203] By referring to the embodiments 1 and 2, the case where the bit line is formed by disposing a silicide layer on low-resistance poly-silicon has been described. However, the structure of the bit line is not limited to this. For example, the bit line may be formed by using the silicide layer alone. In this case, the bit line BL can be made thin.

[0204] In the embodiments 1 and 2, the cap insulating film 11 a and the side walls 11 b located around the bit line are made of SiO₂. However, the cap insulating film and the side walls may be made of silicon nitride.

[0205] In that case, however, the cap insulating film 11 a and the side walls 11 b covering the bit line are made larger in thickness than the cap insulating film 7 a and the side walls 7 b covering the word line.

[0206] For example, in the case where the cap insulating film and the side walls covering the word line are in the range of 1000 to 3000 Å in thickness, the cap insulating film and the side walls covering the bit line need only be larger than the values in thickness.

[0207] By determining the film thickness as described above, the bit line capacity can be reduced. Therefore, the same effects as the above described embodiment 1 provides are obtained.

[0208] Furthermore, in the above described embodiments 1 and 2, the technique of attempting to make the contact holes small by forming side wall films on edges of the mask film was used in the process for forming the upper contact holes 9 b 2 a for the capacitor. However, the present invention is not limited to this, but the technique may be used in the process for forming the lower contact holes 9 b 1 for the capacitor before forming the embedded capacitor conductor film, or may be used in the process for forming the bit line contact holes 9 a 1 which is used to connect the bit line to the semiconductor region of the memory selection MOSFET. Thereby, the hole diameter of those contact holes can be reduced, and consequently the alignment margin can be made small. As a result, it becomes possible to push on with making the memory cell smaller.

[0209] Heretofore, the case where the invention made by the present inventors is applied to DRAMs forming its background field has been principally described. However, its application is not limited to this, but the present invention can be applied to various fields. For example, the present invention can be applied to SRAMs, ROMs, logic circuits, or other semiconductor devices having a semiconductor memory circuit and a logic circuit disposed on the same semiconductor substrate. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device including a plurality of word lines formed over a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of bit lines disposed so as to be transverse to said plurality of word lines, and memory cells each disposed at one of intersections between said plurality of word lines and said plurality of bit lines, each of said memory cells including a memory cell selection transistor having a gate electrode formed by a part of one of said word lines and an information storage capacitor having a principal part disposed over one of said bit lines, a first semiconductor region of said memory cell selection transistor being electrically connected to said information storing capacitor, and a second semiconductor region of said memory cell selection transistor being electrically connected to one of said bit lines, the method comprising the steps of: (a) covering upper and side surfaces of each of said plurality of word lines with first insulating films; (b) forming a second insulating film on said semiconductor substrate to cover therewith said first insulating films, said second insulating film being made of a material larger in etching rate than a material of said first insulating films; (c) forming a first mask film on said second insulating film, said first mask film being made of a material smaller in etching rate than the material of said second insulating film, and thereafter forming openings in first contact hole forming regions of said first mask film; (d) forming first contact holes by using said first mask film as an etching mask so as to expose said first semiconductor regions of said memory cell selection transistors, said first contact holes being defined by said first insulating films in self-alignment; (e) forming said bit lines by forming a first conductor film on the resulting semiconductor substrate after forming said first contact holes and then patterning said first conductor film; (f) covering upper and side surfaces of said bit lines with third insulating films, said third insulating films being made of a material substantially equal in permittivity to the material of said first insulating films, said third insulating films being formed so as to be thicker than said first insulating films; (g) covering said third insulating films with a fourth insulating film, said fourth insulating film being made of a material larger in etching rate than the material of said first insulating films; (h) forming a second mask film on the upper surface of said fourth insulating film, said second mask film being made of a material smaller in etching rate than the material of said fourth insulating film, and thereafter forming openings in second contact hole forming regions of said second mask film; (i) after said step of forming openings in said second mask film, forming a side wall mask film made of a material smaller in etching rate than the material of said fourth insulating film, then etching back the side wall mask film, thereby forming side wall films including portions of said side wall mask films on side surfaces defining openings of said second mask film; (j) forming second contact holes so as to expose the second semiconductor regions of said memory cell selection transistors by conducting etching processing using said second mask film and side wall films as an etching mask, wherein said etching processing is conducted as a series of etching steps including (1) conducting anisotropic etching processing with non-selectivity for a material of the first insulating film to form an upper part of holes of said second contact holes up to such a depth as not to reach said second insulating film, and (2) conducting etching processing with selectivity for the first insulating film to form a lower part of the second contact holes extending from said upper part of holes and reaching said second semiconductor regions through said second insulating film with said first insulating films being retained as a self-alignment etching mask, thereby forming said second contact holes by using said first insulating films; and (k) forming a part of a first electrode of said information storing capacitor by forming a second conductor film on the resulting semiconductor substrate after forming said second contact holes and then patterning said second conductor film.
 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: (l) after covering upper and side surfaces of said bit lines with said third insulating films, forming a fifth insulating film serving as an etching stopper on said second insulating film to cover therewith said third insulating films; and (m) forming said fourth insulating film on said fifth insulating film serving as the etching stopper, wherein when forming said second contact holes so as to expose the second semiconductor regions of said memory cell selection transistors by conducting etching processing using said second mask film and said side wall films as an etching mask, the depth of said upper part of holes of said second contact holes formed by said anisotropic etching processing corresponds to such a position that said fifth insulating film serving as the etching stopper has been etched lastly.
 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said first insulating films and said third insulating films are made of silicon nitride.
 4. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming first conductors over a main surface of a semiconductor substrate with a first insulating film interposed therebetween; forming semiconductor regions in said main surface of the semiconductor substrate on both sides of said first conductors; covering upper and side surfaces of said first conductors with second insulating films, thereby providing a resulting substrate; forming a third insulating film of larger etching rate than that of said second insulating film on the resulting substrate; forming first contact holes by etching through said third insulating film for first ones of said semiconductor regions; forming second conductors extending to contact with said first ones of said semiconductor regions through said first contact holes and extending on said third insulating film in a direction transverse to said first conductors; covering upper and side surfaces of said second conductors with fourth insulating films of smaller permittivity than that of said second insulating film; forming a sixth insulating film on said third insulating film and on said fourth insulating film, of same permittivity as that of said second insulating film: forming a fifth insulating film on said sixth insulating film; forming a patterned mask film on said fifth insulating film, said patterned mask film having side walls defining openings substantially aligned with second ones of said semiconductor regions; forming a side wall film on each of said side walls of said patterned mask film to narrow said openings in said patterned mask film; and forming second contact holes, by etching through said fifth insulating film, said sixth insulating film and said third insulating film for second ones of said semiconductor regions, using said patterned mask with said side wall films.
 5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said fourth insulating films are of silicon oxide and said sixth insulating film is of silicon nitride.
 6. A method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of: forming conductive films on said second ones of said semiconductor regions and on inner walls of said second contact holes; and forming capacitors over said second ones of said semiconductor regions, with said conductive films used as electrodes of said capacitors.
 7. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming first conductors over a main surface of a semiconductor substrate with a first insulating film interposed therebetween; forming semiconductor regions in said main surface of the semiconductor substrate on both sides of said first conductors; covering upper and side surfaces of said first conductors with second insulating films, thereby forming a resulting substrate; forming a third insulating film of larger etching rate than that of said second insulating film on the resulting substrate; forming first contact holes by etching through said third insulating film for first ones of said semiconductor regions; forming second conductors extending to contact with said first ones of semiconductor regions through said first contact holes and extending on said third insulating film in a direction transverse to said first conductors; covering upper and side surfaces of said second conductors with fourth insulating films of same permittivity as that of said second insulating films but of a larger thickness than that of said second insulating film; forming a fifth insulating film on said third insulating film and on said fourth insulating films; forming a patterned mask film on said fifth insulating film, said patterned mask film having side walls defining openings substantially aligned with second ones of said semiconductor regions; forming a side wall film on each of said side walls of said patterned mask film to narrow said openings in said patterned mask film; and forming second contact holes, by etching through said fifth insulating film and said third insulating film, for second ones of said semiconductor regions, using said patterned mask with said side wall films as a mask.
 8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of: forming conductive films on said second ones of said semiconductor regions and on inner walls of said second contact holes; and forming capacitors over said second ones of said semiconductor regions, with said conductive films used as electrodes of said capacitors. 